Klamath County commissioners approve reduced records fee for one requester in 2–1 vote

The Klamath County Board of Commissioners voted 2–1 on Feb. 3 to reduce a public records fee to $25 for a requester who operates a media platform, drawing discussion about consistency and fairness in fee waivers.

Stephen Gaither, County Counsel, told the board that the requester seeks records to educate the public but that the content appears to be “primarily of individual benefit,” a characterization that led commissioners to debate whether the county's fee-waiver practice is applied consistently. Gaither said county staff are working to update the public records request policy to provide clearer guidance.

Commissioner Nichols moved to reduce the fee to $25 and Commissioner Minty seconded. The motion passed with Commissioner Nichols and Commissioner Minty voting in favor and Commissioner DeGroot voting opposed.

The board’s discussion emphasized the administrative steps that drive fees, including staff time for compiling, redacting and legal review to protect sensitive information, and the need for a transparent standard to guide future waivers. Gaither said the county is updating its public records policy; no final policy text or effective date was provided at the meeting.

The reduction applies only to the single requester before the board; the county did not adopt a new, permanent waiver policy at the meeting. The board took no additional action on other pending requests.